Finding Your Courage

Mind vs Spirit – It Takes Both

How many times have you wanted to dive into something new but didn’t? What stopped you?

Diving into new experiences can be scary. Believe it or not, most of the scary stuff, well, it’s all in our heads. Our mind has one job: to keep us alive. And, it does that job phenomenally well. It paints scary thoughts and self-doubt whenever it believes we’re gonna leap into something new. It will load up the mental playlist of all the related failures and negative messaging from our past experiences. Then, use those images to amplify our fears, doubts, and uncertainty about venturing into new things. Why? To convince us to stay in our lane. To remind us of how comfy our comfort zone is now. And, paint the unfamiliar as a scary place to be.

Though frustrating at times, we gotta love how our mind works and the crucial role it plays in our safety and existence. In some cases, the mind is right! Like screaming at us when we think it’s ok to put our hand inside of a tiger’s mouth. But, let’s face it, sometimes our mind can be a bit…extra. It knows our vulnerabilities and triggers, and will twist and exaggerate danger to stop us. To convince us that what we’re trying to do cannot or should not be done!

Enter our spirit (or inner voice).

Our spirit is the essence of who we are at our core. It is where our beliefs, values, desires, dreams, and courage reside. Our spirit is who we really are when the world isn’t watching.

Whereas our mind keeps us safe by focusing on the past, our spirit embraces our present and gives us the courage to move towards the next best version of ourselves. It does so even when getting to the next best version seems scary and the outcomes unknown.

At times, our mind and spirit may be at odds. Our mind wants to play it safe. Our spirit wants to let loose and soar. And, for many of us, our mind is soooo good at convincing us that playing it safe is best, we lose site of all of the things our spirit knows we can accomplish if we try. What if we tried anyway?

This Month’s Quote

This month’s quote is about tapping into our courage. Specifically, giving ourselves permission to try new things – big and small – even when they seem scary. Even we’re not quite clear of the outcome.

How will you make space for your spirit to soar even when your mind tell you to turn and run far, far away? Let’s journal about it…

This Month’s Journal Prompt

Self-Reflect and Grow

It’s time to self-reflect! Grab your favorite Disrupted Unicorn Journal Notebook and pen, get comfy, take a few deep breaths, and reflect on this month’s journal prompt:

For the next 5 – 15 minutes, write down your thoughts to these questions:

• Re-read this month’s quote.
• Think of one new thing you want to do but haven’t done yet. Write it down.
• What is the worst thing that could happen if you did the new thing scared and unprepared?
• If the worst thing were to happen, how would you overcome it?
• What is the first small step you can take today to pursue what you want to do?

Level up (optional):

• Make a plan. Brainstorm and capture small steps needed to do the thing you want to do. For each step, set a date by when you will get it done. When you complete a step, celebrate yourself and the courage you’ve shown!

Journal writing is a personal and often deeply emotional activity. If you feel uncomfortable or distressed about a particular prompt we post, please feel free to skip it and journal about whatever is on your mind or heart.